About District Life
Based out of Waimate District we’re connecting with districts north, south and west to share our stories. Whether you're just down the road or across the world, you’ll recognise the faces and places - and discover new ones.
Got local news?
Send us your news, community updates and media releases. There is no charge for publishing editorial news online.
All submissions are considered, with publication and editing at District Life’s discretion.
District Life shares news and stories from across the central South Island, online and in print - bringing together independent journalism, community storytelling and professional marketing.
It combines:
a free monthly community paper
online stories
email distribution
social media marketing.
Print puts local news directly into people’s hands, while digital helps those stories travel further and remain searchable and shareable long after publication.
District Life is supported by local advertising and story sponsorships.
We help businesses find their key messages, create effective advertising and connect with the right audiences. Their support helps us produce and share more local news and stories.
Businesses, organisations and individuals can also sponsor a page or half-page featuring a local story.
The aim is to get our stories travelling further – strengthening regional communities, supporting local businesses and showing more people why this is a great place to live, work, visit and invest in.
They’re written for locals, farmers, neighbouring districts, expats and anyone planning their next move or visit. And because they’re online, they remain searchable and easy to find.
Print. Email. Online. Your ads working harder.
District Life is published by District Life Media Ltd, an independent media and marketing company led by Kate O’Connell.
Kate is a communications and marketing specialist with more than 20 years’ experience delivering results for businesses and communities.
Advertisers
District Life gives you targeted access to the largely rural heartland of the central South Island - and beyond.
We partner with you to create content that we share through District Life channels, and that you can share through yours
District Life gives advertisers a platform to connect with a strong rural audience through stories and advertising. It gives our districts a voice and an international reach.
Tell us who you want to reach. We’ll get your ad or story in front of them. Reach is not limited to our audience or South Canterbury, we can use digital advertising to target people across NZ.
This isn’t passive advertising. It’s targeted digital marketing. We work with you to define who you want to reach, what you want them to know, and where they’re most likely to see it. From there, we’ll write stories and create content designed to be noticed.
Stories sit at the heart of District Life. They allow you to go deeper than traditional advertising and take a more creative approach to connecting with your audience. They give you space to explain, add context, and demonstrate expertise. The approach isn’t one-size-fits-all, and it doesn’t stop at a logo and a tagline. And we promise, no AI slop.
District Life’s reach
• Delivered directly to rural mailboxes in Waimate District
• Available free from pick-up points across Waimate, Timaru, Oamaru and Kurow.
• Each edition emailed to subscribers and available to read online
• Averaging around 200,000 social media views each month
• Online stories remain searchable and shareable long after publication
• Reaching locals, former locals and people interested in the region.
Want to find out more? Send us an email to request an advertising information pack.
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We offer a full-service approach - from writing stories and designing ads for District Life, to creating content and campaigns you can use across your own channels.
We can work with your marketing team to share the content they create.
Or, we can be your outsourced marketing team including reviewing your current strategy and optimising it.
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You’re getting access to a professional digital marketer who actively works to get results from your advertising spend.
You get targeted access to a largely rural audience.
Your advertising isn’t limited to post codes or print runs and it sticks around longer.
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Either works.
If you have an ad you love we can use it.
Or, we love designing ads that stand out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact us
We’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch to share an idea for a story, find out about advertising, or to request an advertising information pack.
District Life is a part-time, community development project.
The best way to contact us is via email - we’ll reply as soon as we can (same day!).